Scott Harris

It was a seesaw battle for the holiday box office title this weekend, as new Christmas releases “Les Misérables” and “Django Unchained” duked it out with returning champion “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” over the past few days. But now that the dust has settled we can officially declare a winner: “The Hobbit.”

Yes, coming in with an estimated $32.9 million, “The Hobbit” topped the box office for the third weekend in a row, just beating out “Django Unchained” with $30.7 million and “Les Misérables” with $28 million.

Of course, the figures were skewed by the fact that “Les Misérables” in particular burned off much of its pent-up viewer demand during the week; Tom Hooper’s adaptation of the classic Broadway musical easily won the box office on both Tuesday and Wednesday, earning an impressive $18.1 million on Christmas day alone.

Still, once all was said and done, it was “The Hobbit” coming out on top again, thanks in large part to an amazingly strong hold, as Peter Jackson’s latest fantasy epic was down only 11% from last weekend’s $36.9 million. And with only one major new release this coming Friday — the niche horror remake “Texas Chainsaw 3D” — it looks as though “The Hobbit,” “Les Misérables” and “Django Unchained” will likely be battling it out for first place again next weekend.

Oh, and one other note on this week’s box office: With $4.6 million domestically this weekend, good for 11th place on the charts, “Skyfall” became the first James Bond film to break the $1 billion mark worldwide. Not a bad way to celebrate your 50th anniversary.

Here’s a look at the full weekend box office courtesy of Hollywood.com: